US ‘won’t accept Hamas presence in Qatar’

Senior US officers have reportedly mentioned Washington will now not settle for the presence of Hamas representatives in Qatar, accusing the Palestinian group of rejecting the newest proposals to attain a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage deal.

In nameless briefings to the Reuters information company, the officers mentioned the Qatari authorities had agreed to inform Hamas to shut its political workplace 10 days in the past.

Hamas have had a political base in Doha since 2012, reportedly on the request of the Obama administration, to permit communication with the group.

The studies have been denied to the BBC by Hamas officers; Qatar has but to remark.

The small however influential gulf state is a key US ally within the area. It hosts a serious American air base and has dealt with many delicate political negotiations, together with with Iran, the Taliban and Russia. Alongside the US and Egypt, the Qataris have additionally performed a serious function in rounds of so-far unsuccessful talks to dealer a ceasefire within the year-long warfare between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The newest spherical of talks in mid-October failed to supply a deal, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal. They have at all times referred to as for a whole finish to the warfare and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Israel has additionally been accused of rejecting offers. Days after being fired earlier this week, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rejecting a peace deal towards the recommendation of his safety chiefs.

Dr H A Hellyer, senior affiliate fellow on the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), thinks the studies are credible. “I think we’re in the last phase before Hamas is forced to relocate,” he informed me. “The writing on the wall has been there for months.”

The name for Hamas to be expelled from Qatar seems to be an try by the outgoing Biden administration to pressure some type of peace deal earlier than the tip of his time period in January.

Were Hamas to be pressured to depart Doha, it’s unclear the place they’d base their political workplace. Key ally Iran could be an choice, though the assassination of former chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July suggests they could be in danger from Israel if primarily based there. It would additionally not give them something near the identical diplomatic channels to the West.

A extra doubtless choice could be Turkey. As a Nato member but in addition a Sunni majority state, it might give the group a base from which to function in relative security. Last April President Erdogan hosted then Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation in Istanbul, the place they talked about “what needs to be done to ensure adequate and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a fair and lasting peace process in the region”.

The move would also most likely be welcomed by Ankara, which has often sought to position itself as a broker between east and west.

It is thought the personal safety of Hamas leadership is now a major concern for the group, which saw two leaders killed in less than four months. As well as Haniyeh’s death in July, in October Israel killed Yahya Sinwar in Gaza – he was the mastermind behind the 7 October Hamas attack on southern Israel.

According to the European Council of Foreign Relations, “Hamas has adopted a temporary model of collective leadership to mitigate the effect of future Israeli assassinations”.

Dr Hellyer thinks that nowhere “will give them protection from Israeli assassination attempts in the same way that being in Doha, where America has its largest military base in the region, did”.

The latest move comes as US officials appear increasingly frustrated with the approach the Israeli government has taken to ending the war. In October, the US Secretaries of State and Defense said if Israel did not allow more humanitarian aid into the territory within 30 days, they would face unspecified policy “implications”.

Last weekend a number of UN officials warned the situation in northern Gaza was “apocalyptic”. On Saturday the independent Famine Review Committee said there was a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas”.

The relationship between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu has deteriorated over the course of the war in Gaza, with increasing pressure from Washington to improve the humanitarian situation for the Palestinians and find some sort of negotiated settlement.

But, according to Dr Hellyer, US attempts at negotiation have been fatally flawed.

“By setting red lines and allowing Netanyahu to cross them without consequence, the Biden administration effectively encouraged further impunity. I don’t think any of this will change in the next 10 weeks,” he said.

Any overtures have been repeatedly rejected by Mr Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition, who will now also feel emboldened by the prospect of an incoming Donald Trump presidency.

While exactly what approach Donald Trump will take to the region remains uncertain, he is thought to be more likely to allow Israel to act on its terms.

He has previously said Israel should “finish what they started” in Gaza. During his last term in the White House, he took a number of steps deemed highly favourable to Israel, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.

It has also been reported, however, that Trump told Netanyahu that he wants to see an end to the fighting by the time he takes office.

Either way, it seems likely that the current US administration will have less influence over the government in Jerusalem.

They could due to this fact consider the easiest way to pressure some type of deal is to use strain on Hamas. Whether it pays off could rely on whether or not Qatar, so lengthy a dependable ally, decides to associate with it.